On Monday, we talked about how good moms can lose custody. It happens all the time, and I’m always surprised at how many moms don’t take custody cases seriously, and wind up losing custody of their kids. They fall prey to some of the common mistakes we discussed on Monday, and they’re left with...
Appealing Juvenile Court Decisions in Virginia
Whether you or your child’s father originally filed custody petitions, it’s a pretty scary process. If he has an attorney and you don’t, it’s probably especially scary. Though there’s no rule that says you have to have an attorney in any divorce or custody cases in Virginia, navigating the system on your own can be...
As far as things go, child support is one of the easiest issues we deal with in our practice. In a lot of ways, it’s so cut and dry that we don’t spend a lot of time talking about it. That doesn’t mean, though, that you’re not wondering about it—after all, it’s all new to...
In Virginia, as in most states, the standard we use for custody cases is the best interests of the child. In Virginia, as in most states, we have a number of factors that comprise, basically, what factors we believe account for what types of choices, when it comes to custody and visitation, are in a...
A lot of times, if you’re just filing for custody, visitation, child support, or spousal support, you’re going to start out at the juvenile court level. If you’re not currently pursuing divorce, but these issues are currently unresolved, the juvenile court is really the only forum you have available to you. There’s good news and...
It seems like we have a couple of cases like this lately. Dad wasn’t involved in the child’s life (and when I say wasn’t involved, I mean, like, he was completely and totally uninvolved) until, suddenly, he decided that he wanted to be. And not just that he wanted to see the child on occasion...
“I don’t want to send the baby to his father,” mothers often say to me. They can cite a bunch of reasons, from the fact that he hasn’t yet changed a single diaper (a single one!), that he isn’t vigilant about avoiding her allergens, he doesn’t stick to the schedule with respect to her medication,...
This job (like most things in life) is full of moments that teach me things. Almost every day, I have a moment where I think, “Wow, that’s something I never thought of before!” I make note of it, and move on. It’s experiences like this that make me a better attorney. Usually, it’s just something...